Experiencing Chronic Pain? Talk to a Medical Marijuana Doctor in New Orleans for Medical Marijuana Access

The clinical benefits of medical marijuana for a wide range of ailments, most commonly pain relief, are becoming increasingly popular with patients and healthcare professionals. 

Some studies have indicated that certain patient populations may be able to replace opioids with medical cannabis. If you are experiencing chronic pain, talk to a medical marijuana doctor in New Orleans for medical marijuana access.

Visit Teleleaf.com to get started on your medical marijuana recommendation in New Orleans.

Medical Marijuana Benefits for Chronic Pain

In contrast, chronic pain medications, such as opioids, come with significant side effects, while medical marijuana is perceived as relatively safe due to its incredibly low chances of overdose

In observational studies, fewer side effects are the most common reason patients say they replace medications with medical cannabis, which supports this notion.

It might be possible that medical marijuana’s THC works by interacting with the body’s natural cannabinoid receptors and reducing pain signaling, which in turn may result in pain relief

The anti-inflammatory effects of MMJ may also help chronic pain associated with systemic inflammation, including rheumatoid arthritis.

What is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is pain that is ongoing and usually lasts longer than six months. This type of pain can continue even after the injury or illness that caused it has healed or gone away. 

Pain signals remain active in the nervous system for weeks, months, or years. Some people suffer chronic pain even when there is no past injury or apparent body damage.

Chronic pain is linked to conditions such as:

  • Headache
  • Arthritis
  • Cancer
  • Nerve pain
  • Back pain
  • Fibromyalgia

It also causes some emotional effects, including:

  • Depression
  • Anger
  • Anxiety
  • Fear of reinjury
doctor hand hold and offer to patient medical marijuana and oil. Cannabis recipe for personal use, legal light drugs prescribe, alternative remedy or medication,medicine concept

Signs and Symptoms 

With chronic pain syndrome, patients may suffer from physical, emotional, and social symptoms. These include:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Poor sleep
  • Feeling very tired or wiped out
  • Irritability
  • Guilt
  • Loss of interest in sex
  • Drug or alcohol abuse
  • Marriage or family problems
  • Job loss
  • Suicidal thoughts

Causes of Chronic Pain

You may suffer from a long-term disease such as arthritis or cancer as the cause of chronic pain. 

Injuries and diseases can also cause changes to your body that make you more prone to pain. These changes can last even after you have recovered from the disease or injury. You can have chronic pain due to a sprain, a broken bone, or a brief infection. 

However, some people also suffer from chronic pain that isn’t related to an injury or physical illness. 

Healthcare providers refer to this as psychogenic pain or psychosomatic pain. The relationship between this connection and low levels of endorphins is thought to be a result of low levels of endorphins in the blood. 

There can be two or more causes of pain associated with one another. For example, migraines and psychogenic pain can both occur along with each other.

Treatment for Chronic Pain

In order to treat chronic pain, healthcare providers identify and treat its causes. But sometimes doctors aren’t able to find the source, so they turn to managing pain instead.

Whenever possible, the best treatment plans make use of multiple techniques, including medication, lifestyle changes, and psychotherapies. If you are dealing with chronic pain, depression, or anxiety, you should seek out treatment for these conditions as well. 

Medications

For chronic pain relief, your healthcare provider may prescribe certain medications, such as:

  • Anticonvulsants (medications that prevent seizures) for nerve pain
  • Antidepressants such as tricyclic antidepressants
  • Corticosteroid
  • Muscle relaxers
  • Narcotics (opioids). Narcotics are addictive, and you can build up a tolerance to them over time. For this reason, healthcare providers typically try different pain treatment options before prescribing opioids
  • Sedatives for sleep disorders
  • Medical marijuana

Therapy

  • CBT: Cognitive behavioral therapy can help you deal with chronic pain, especially psychogenic pain. 
  • Counseling: Talk therapy has been found to be useful in managing chronic pain.
  • Occupational therapy: The purpose is to help you find effective ways to lessen pain or avoid injury. 
  • Physical therapy: involves stretching and strengthening exercises, which can also assist in pain management.

Medical Marijuana as an Alternative Treatment for Chronic Pain

A review of 10,000 scientific abstracts on the effects of recreational and medical cannabis was conducted by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine in a 2017 report which reviewed all of the information below.

According to the data, 85.5% of the people who had medical marijuana licenses used it to treat evidence-based conditions. With 62.2 percent of people reporting that they had been using it for their chronic pain, it ranked at the top of the list.

According to many observational studies, many adults use cannabis for chronic pain. “To our knowledge, this was the first study that examined nationwide trends of patient-reported qualifying conditions based on these state registries”, according to lead author Kevin Boehnke, PhD, a research fellow in the department of anesthesiology and the chronic pain and fatigue research center at the University of Michigan.

Get your New Orleans medical marijuana recommendation today through Teleleaf.com if you suffer from chronic pain.